FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Fourth Round - Everton v Burnley - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - November 1, 2023 Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
(Reuters) - Everton's players will not let a 10-point deduction by the Premier League affect their performances, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said.
Everton became the first Premier League club to be deducted points for breaching financial sustainability rules last week. An independent commission imposed an immediate deduction that saw the Merseyside outfit drop to second-from-bottom from 14th.
The club's director of football, Kevin Thelwell, said on Wednesday that Everton will use the deduction as "additional fuel" in the remainder of their campaign.
"I expect the weekend to be no different – if not, more electric," said Calvert-Lewin ahead of Manchester United's visit on Sunday.
"I'm sure the fans will be ready. Us as players, we'll prepare the same as normal and make sure we're ready to put in a performance and collect the three points.
"I think, given the circumstances, I've sensed a lot of unity and togetherness. We were off on the international break when the news broke, but coming back in this week, I don't feel like it's fazed us players," added the 26-year-old said.
"We know, as a group, we can't affect that. All we can affect is what's in front of us, and that's the game on Sunday, so we're looking forward to that."
Everton, who narrowly avoided relegation in the last two seasons, have four wins and a draw from their last seven league games.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
